Second European PM says not enough progress has been made on Brexit talks

Irish PM says the UK's position has left him "confused and puzzled" (Source: Getty)

Another leader of an EU27 country has said not enough progress has been made during Brexit talks to open up discussions to trade this autumn.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Bloomberg TV said some progress had been made around the question of the Irish border - which he insists must remain open after the UK leaves the EU - but more needed to be done before talks could be broadened out.

“We’re not satisfied with the progress that has been made so far,” Varadkar said. “We hope more progress can be made, but to date progress has not been sufficient.”

Varadkar, who is in Canada to observe the frictionless border with the US as a possible model, added that he was "confused and puzzled" about the UK's position, which he characterised as taking all the benefits of being in the EU without paying any of the costs or holding any responsibilities towards the bloc.

“That’s not a realistic position,” he said. “What trade agreement does the U.K. want with the EU? At the moment, they have the best trade deal imaginable. What are these better deals the U.K. really wants from Europe and other countries? Some more clarity would be helpful."